It is envisioned that one day, all telephone wires will be replaced by fiber optic cables. To be able to properly identify a particular fiber optic cable in a central office, or other station where there may be hundreds to thousands of such cables, fiber optic cable management is necessary, wherein bundles of cables/single cables are passed through holders, guides, etc., to and from terminal points. In this manner, a technician may readily identify a particular cable needing servicing or replacement by its path.
In the prior art, various devices and techniques have been developed to manage standard copper telephone wiring. However, fiber optic cables are physically much weaker and more brittle than copper wiring, and prior art copper wiring management devices and techniques are not entirely transferable to fiber optic cable management. Additionally, splices of fiber optic cables are particularly susceptible to failure and require special consideration.
There are basically two types of fiber optic cable splices: fusion splices and array ribbon splices. A fusion splice is used to join one fiber optic cable to another, wherein the two cables are fused together. An array ribbon is a flat ribbon formed by a plurality of joined fiber optic cables (sheaths disposed about the cables are joined, not the cables themselves). In an array ribbon splice, two array ribbons are mass fused with cables of both ribbons being individually joined. To prevent damage to, and possible failure of, the fused joint, a reinforcing bar is typically provided. Additionally, the reinforcing bar and the fused joint are invaginated within a protective sheath.
As can be readily appreciated, fiber optic cable systems require great numbers of splices. To facilitate management and organization of the cables within such systems, holders have been used in the prior art to hold the splices. (As used herein, the term "splice" refers to the assembly of a fused joint of fiber optic cables, and, generally, although not necessarily, a reinforcing bar and a protective sheath.) With space (in enclosures and other volumes) being at a premium, it is continuously desirable to reduce the size of a splice holder, yet increase the number of splices that it can accommodate. In other words, it is desirable to increase the density of the splice holder--i.e., obtain a higher ratio of the number of splices accommodated by a splice holder relative to the unit area of the splice holder.
Additionally, when assembled, the diameter of a fusion splice is smaller in size than the diameter of an array ribbon splice. (As used herein, the "diameter" of a fusion splice refers to the width of the splice extending between diametrically opposed points on the splice engaged by the holder. Splices generally are circular in cross-section, but may be formed with other cross-sectional shapes including other elliptical shapes, polygonal shapes and irregular shapes.) Consequently, a splice holder designed to hold fusion splices will not accommodate array ribbon splices, and vice versa.